The Escort
by AzaleaBrickshire
Summary: AU. Haymitch cuffed her and said, "Euphemia Trinket, you are under arrest for the murder of twelve innocent children and the attempted murder of Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark..."


It was way past midnight when she came home. The loft was dark and she didn't bother to open the lights because the bright lights made her dizzier than ever whenever she was this drunk.

She threw her clutch on the coffee table. She winced when she pushed off the heels since her feet were so sore and she would bet that some of her skin also peeled off. She stumbled on the way to her bedroom as she tried to release her chestnut brown hair from the hair clips. She changed her party clothes and put on something more comfortable. She was just hanging her couture gown on her red velvet plush chair when someone grabbed her from behind. She made use of her quick reflexes and twisted her attacker's arm. She pinned him against the wall with all her strength.

He struggled to free himself but she was really strong even for her small petite figure.

As soon as she got close to him, she identified her attacker based on his scent. He still smelled like whiskey combined with soap and his cologne. "Haymitch?" she dared to ask but she knew that she was right. She wasn't sure if she should let go of him but knowing who he was caught her slightly off guard.

He immediately turned around and swept her off her feet so she would tumble on the floor. He quickly pulled out his handcuffs and pinned her to the floor with his knees on each side of her hips. He cuffed her and said, "Euphemia Trinket, you are under arrest for the murder of twelve innocent children and the attempted murder of Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark..." He recited the Miranda Rights with his bitter and cold voice and gruffly pushed her out of her condominium.

They were both silent on the way to the station and neither of them dared to look at each other. He handed the white coat to her since she was only wearing a loose t-shirt, cotton shorts and slippers. The roads were abandoned and only a few people were still in the station but he felt sudden urge to keep her modesty though he was very angry at her when he found out about the truth.

Chaff immediately walked towards them when he saw them. His face was stoic, his jaw was clenched and his brown eyes narrowed at the sight of her. He grabbed her from Haymitch without saying a word and locked her up in the interrogation room.

Finnick and Johanna were already in the observation room when Haymitch and Chaff got inside. Finnick's shoulders sagged as he watched her in the other room while Johanna looked like she was going to murder the woman who she had grown to treat as a friend as she stood closely on the one-way mirror and clenched her knife. Haymitch sat on a chair with his back on the mirror as he reached for his flask but Chaff quickly snatched it away from him.

"No," Chaff firmly said and gripped the silver flask tighter.

Haymitch threatened him with his grey eyes looking straight through the older man's, "I need that back." His voice was demanding and gruff.

They all knew that Haymitch gone back to drinking again once they found out who The Escort was. He tried to stay sober in seven years because Effie helped him but as they uncover the identity of The Escort, it seemed like Effie would also be the reason why their friend will go back seeking the comfort of the liquor.

"I can't believe that she did it," Finnick quietly mused, oblivious to the growing tension around him. He still couldn't wrap his mind that Effie can kill... especially children between twelve to eighteen. He knew her as the compassionate woman who liked taking care of kids and not capable of such violence. He was still hoping that what they found out wasn't true but all the evidence led to her.

"Ha!" Johanna snorted and turned around to face Finnick, "You better be joking that you don't believe her, _Finnick._" She hissed Finnick's name with pure disgust. She didn't want to hear anyone to pity that pretty blue-eyed blondie. It was really sick that the person whom she considered as a friend turned out to be a child murderer.

He looked at her, "All I'm saying is, Jo, she could've been framed." He raised his palm up and pointed tp their friend. "It's possible that someone was just pinning all these murders to her. We haven't had any real evidence for the past years and all of a sudden, she became sloppy and leaving those two kids alive?" He just couldn't believe that Effie would do such a thing. He stood up and walked to fierce detective. "No, this – The Escort – we know that she's a woman and a professional. She had seven years of experience without leaving any trace of evidence. Something must've gone wrong and whoever killed those kids pinned this on Effie because she's too close to home." Finnick really believed that his explanation made sense. It must be. Effie was an undercover model. Not a killer. She had been working alongside them for seven years and feeding them information about the high profile murder cases. But a small voice at the back of his mind was warning him hat maybe the reason why they hadn't caught The Escort was because Effie was covering her tracks and fed them the wrong information instead.

"We all know that you have a soft spot for her," she jerked her thumb to point Effie on the other side. "But you need to open your eyes, Fin." She glared at him and her voice dropped to sound menacing, "She is not who we think she is. She's a killer. She fooled you," she pointed her index finger accusingly to his chest. "She fooled us!" she gritted her teeth and turned her back on him to walk again closely on the mirror. "She fooled _me,_" she whispered and her fists shook because she wanted to give the blonde a right hook.

"Are you two done?" Chaff calmly said as he walked in with a more sober Haymitch. Finnick and Johanna didn't notice that the two older detectives stealthily got out of the room.

Johanna just glared at him with her arms crossed in front of her while Finnick just released a resigned sigh.

Chaff tossed a folder between the two of them and Finnick expertly caught it. "You two, in there," he tilted his head towards the interrogation room.

Haymitch turned to him and lifted his hand to stop the two without looking at them. "No," he shook his head, "I brought her in so I –"

"Without Coin's permission." He stepped inside the younger man's personal space and glared down on him. "The captain told us to keep it under the wraps and you barged in there and brought her here. We all know that that was a rookie mistake, Abernathy." His voice was booming though he wasn't screaming yet. His voice was just naturally loud but for following words, he chose to lower his volume, "We all know that this is personal for you," Chaff's grip on Haymitch's arm tightened. "If you can't keep the line between personal and work, you're out of the case, 'Mitch." Chaff released him roughly and the two younger detectives moved their way to the interrogation room.

Chaff stood stoically, looking at the two young detectives that barged in the room. Haymitch stood beside him as he ignored the pain in his arm. His eyes were locked on the slightly drunk blonde on the other side.

"She's not _just_ my partner," he confessed. "_This_ is personal."

"I know." He sighed.

Frankly, this was too personal for all of them.

* * *

Disclaimer: THG characters aren't mine.

This is going to be three chapters only. Please review! ;)

_.Elle._


End file.
